Under Armour CEO ignites boycott threats after resigning from Trump council -- but it was a 'necessary' move

J. Meric/Getty ImagesUnder Armour CEO Kevin Plank made the right move resigning from Trump’s manufacturing council, according to one analyst.

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank resigned from President Trump’s manufacturing council Monday amid growing scrutiny over Trump’s response to t
he violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In announcing his resignation, Plank said Under Armour “engages in innovation and sports, not politics.”

The sportswear company is now facing an onslaught of boycott threats from Trump supporters. But one analyst says resigning was the right move for Plank.

“It was necessary; it was something he had to do,” Sam Poser, an analyst for Susquehanna International Group, told Business Insider. “It’s a good thing to see.”

Plank sparked boycott threats from the opposite side of the political spectrum this year after he called Trump “a real asset for the country” in an interview that turned the company into a political lightning rod.

Plank later clarified his political beliefs in an open letter published in the Baltimore Sun, though he made no mention of Trump.

“We are always mindful of the responsibility that we have to those who choose our brand, especially the young people who represent the bold and bright future of a diverse and inclusive America…” Plank said. “In a time of division, we aspire to be a force of unity, growth, and optimism for our city and our country.”

Plank’s decision to resign from Trump’s council further reinforces the statements he made in the letter and in the long term it’s the right move for the company, Poser said.

“Keeping politics out of it is the best thing he could do,” he said.

But for the time being, the company is still in hot water — now with Trump’s supporters, instead of his critics.